Colt has been licking a lot at his feet lately and between most of his toes, the skin is raw and red. It is mostly between the middle toes on all his feet. Is he allergic to something? I am feeding him DVP duck and potato, so I don't think the food is the issue. Is there something I can rub on it to make it better? Him licking is only making it worse and one has started to bleed a bit.

It is definitely a gnarly yeast infection. The redness has turned into a crusty blood discharge. Is there something over the counter I can use to clear this up? I don't feel like giving my vet $100+ to tell me what I already know.

Ooops, I wish there was an edit feature. I forgot to mention but his ears were really yeasty about a month ago and the vet prescribed some gentizol. Can I use the leftover tube of medicine to clear this up?

I figure the yeast spread to his feet because he was scratching his ears.

I ask because although I'm a vet student, my prior experience lies with HORSES not dogs, and thusfar our school work has consisted of the basics; we haven't done a ton of medicine yet. I noticed Tula is chewing her feet a good bit, and the webbing between her toes is quite red. I also noticed her toenails look weird (they're white/non-pigmented); it almost looks like theres dried blood on the ouside at the top of her nail. She also scratches her ears a lot lately. I'm going to swab her ears and check her out for mites (thankfully I've done parasitology already )... any more info on the yeast infections? Again; did mycology but it was strictly a BOOK course with no actual clinical examples involved...

I had thought that her chewing her paws could be due to the salt, as we mainly walk on the sidewalks throughout the city and they're constantly salted. Bought her boots last week :P

Pandora had a pretty serious yeast infection and her toenails looked like there was blood INSIDE the nail. I thought maybe she had pulled them (make any sense?) or somehow injured them because it was only on the front ones. Like stood up on the fence and caused them to bleed inside. Then I noticed the redness between the toes as well and took her to the vet. Yeast infection.

I am so glad to see there are others that are having the same problem as i am.
I have to say, out of all the challenges my dog has brought forth this whole non-stop paw licking/nibbling has me at the end of my rope!

I've been going the apple cider vinegar route and dipping her paws in it every night after her last walk. After i wipe off the excess vinegar i put baby socks on her paws so she's not tempted to lick. It works well and she usually passes out without thinking about her paws. The only problem with this is that the socks usually come off during the night and i wake up to slurping and pools of drool all over her bed.

She too has discolored nails. They're red/brown and there's a build up of gunk at the bed of the nail. Some of her nails are white/non-pigmented also. We too thought this irritation was caused by salted roads and sidewalks so we bought her boots back in November but it hasn't helped much.

I'm beginning to think she's nuts and this is OCD at it's finest. Sometimes i don't even know why i bother with her.

I guess what i should ask now is, if it is yeast and the ACV isn't helping is there another at home remedy anyone knows of?

I think if it is a serious yeast infection you need veterinary treatment because it's systemic. After I tried all the home remedies, to no avail, she also developed yeasty ears and butt. And she smelled like an old frito.

Fungal (ie yeast) infections LOVE warm, damp, closed spaces. So putting a sock over her foot may only make it worse.

I've had good luck with Malaseb shampoo. It contains an antifungal agent (the same antifungal used for human yeast infections--works a charm), and a drying agent plus an antibacterial agent. If it doesn't clear up quickly, then a trip to the vet is a good idea, since you don't want a secondary bacterial infection to set in.

I've been applying the rest of the tube of Gentizol prescribed for his ears on his toes twice daily for the last two or three days and the infection has cleared up dramatically. He hasn't been licking his feet anywhere near as much, so I can tell it isn't bothering him as badly as it did when I made this thread.

Thanks for the help and good luck to those others that seem to be experiencing the same problem.

intheknow wrote:I'm beginning to think she's nuts and this is OCD at it's finest. Sometimes i don't even know why i bother with her.

Hey, I had the same problem with my dog in vet school. He itched for a couple months and I had no idea it was even a problem until I sat through a dermatology lecture and was told flat out "Normal dogs DO NOT EVER chew their feet"

If they chew their feet, they probably have a secondary skin infection related to an underlying allergy problem.

The red line at the base of the nails is classic for a malassezia yeast infection of the nail beds. Its a skin fold like any other, and yeast love to grow in warm wet cracks and folds.

After that eye opening experience I am now a Dermatology nut, I love everything related to skin and allergies. It was a great way to learn during vet school... my pup still itches his feet now and then, but now I know why, and I can help him control his itchiness so he's not so "nuts" anymore. He was only nuts because he was itchy!!!